Revelations in the jungle | The West Australian

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Revelations in the jungle | The West ***********

With a smile as warm as the deepest parts of the Malaysian jungle, it is hard to imagine local Bilit legend Nelson Deocampo having anything like a secret dark past.

And as his booming voice welcomes anyone of any nationality within earshot into his home for the annual Hari Raya celebration at the end of Ramadan, his natural generosity makes that thought even more distant.

But back in Deocampo’s late teenage years, the Bilit jungle wilds were said to be rife with drugs, unemployment and roaming gangs … and he was said to be not just in the thick of it, but at the forefront.

The 48-year-old father-of-seven, who was born in Tawau and is now entrenched in the Bilit village with his wife Sefriana, is coy about his former life. But he is effusive about where Bilit has brought him to in life.

“When I arrive at this place, lots of us not work, we just become fishermen,” Deocampo says.

“Now is getting better, because all the local people — people like us and the younger generation — they work full-time and get a salary every month. We have clean water and we have electricity now and our lives become high, high, high.

“I love this place for the quiet, for the animals and I love the nature and the simple life. It’s lighter now, not so heavy to think. This is my village now and I want more people to come and share it.”

Some call Deocampo “The Man” … even himself sometimes. Others refer to him as “Nelson Mandela” after the late South ******** icon.

Johnny Lim, the owner of Bilit Adventure Lodge where Deocampo has been manager since it was built in 2002, calls him part of his family and says the tourism opportunity has been his saviour.

“He wanted to make change in his life, so we said, ‘If you’re serious, let’s do it together’,” Lim recalls of a time when Deocampo’s life was on a much sharper edge.

“My Dad said, ‘If you want me to help you, you have to help yourself and not live like your old self anymore. When we first started, he was the chef, he was the boatman, he was the housekeeper … he was everything.

“How he has managed to change, before and after, and have a positive influence on other people is so good. It takes time, but we thank **** he managed to slowly change his life.”

The Hari Raya celebration at Deocampo’s is relaxed, filled with extraordinary local food and exceptionally loud music. On occasion, he sits back and watches the festivities play out with the look of pure contentment.

He is an attentive host, making sure everyone is getting a look in at the “rotton log” biscuits, the divinely cold orange juice in the extremely hot and muggy weather, and the bain-marie filled with freshly prepared hot foods.

There are about 300 closely knit villagers living in Bilit — a great many of them related — and most have open-house parties rolling throughout the day and night to mark the occasion. It is cultural bliss for visitors.

Lim says it is typical of the great community spirit in the village and expresses his own pride for what his lodge has brought in terms of employment, opportunity and charity.

Camera IconA villager’s home open for Hari Raya. Credit: Steve Butler/The West ***********data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconHari Raya is the annual celebration at the end of Ramadan. Credit: Steve Butler/The West ***********data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconNelson (Mandela) Deocampo. Credit: Steve Butler/The West ***********data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconNelson (Mandela) Deocampo. Credit: Steve Butler/The West ***********data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconNelson Deocampo (Mandela). Credit: Steve Butler/The West ***********data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconHari Raya at Nelson’s. Credit: Steve Butler/The West ***********

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